


What Comes Next Is Icing

by thewildtype



Series: The Happiest of Birthdays To You [2]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Because cake is amazing, Birthday, Birthday Cake, F/F, Post-Canon, Romantic Fluff, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:13:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28254447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewildtype/pseuds/thewildtype
Summary: Catra has no idea what’s in store for her as Adora plans her very first birthday celebration after the liberation of Etheria.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Series: The Happiest of Birthdays To You [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2067987
Kudos: 47





	What Comes Next Is Icing

Catra released a low growl, turning on her side ready to destroy whatever annoyance dared to wake her. She locked eyes with the culprit and immediately retracted her claws.

“Adora? What are you doing here?” Catra grumbled in surprise.

Normally, being woken up before the sun would set her off into a blind rage, but she couldn’t be mad at Adora. No matter what time it was. Especially when Adora was snuggling into her side and wrapping an arm securely around her waist.

“Aren’t I allowed to come say hi?” Adora whispered. Her warm breathing tickled the side of Catra’s neck causing her to giggle like a smitten teenager.

“Technically,” Catra began, wrapping her arm around Adora’s waist, “it’s against the palace rules for you to be in my room after dark. At least, that’s what you keep reminding me every time I try to sneak in your bed at night.”

Adora jutted out her bottom lip in a pitiful attempt to pout. “Aren’t you happy to see me?” Her adorable facial expression combined with her large puppy dog eyes were impossible to resist or take seriously for that matter. Catra rolled her eyes in response. She pulled Adora in closer eliciting an excited squeal. “I would never complain about you breaking the rules. Especially this really stupid one.” She felt Adora smiling against the crook of her neck.

“Can’t I be a rule breaking rebel just for one night?” Adora playfully mumbled, nestling further into Catra’s side.

“I thought your rebel days were long behind you?”

“I can’t help it. I’m too excited to wait for the sun!” Adora admitted.

“It’s just another day Adora. No big deal.”

“Your birthday is a big deal! You _finally_ get to have a real celebration!” Adora shifted, pulling back to look directly at her. “You’ve made it your mission in life to create a tradition for us revolving around my birthday. The very least I can do is make this one special for you.”

It was sweet, how much Adora cared. Her capacity to love fully, and unconditionally was something Catra loved most about her. It’s what made Adora the most special person in the universe.

“Adora, I’ve told you this before. I don’t care about my birthday. It doesn’t need to be a grand affair. I just want to-”

“-Spend the day with me. I know, I know. We _will_ spend the day together like we always do _but_ with an extra something special this time. Please?” Adora pleaded with her big puppy dog eyes. Catra was powerless to resist.

“Uh, fine! As long as this surprise isn’t too elaborate.”

“Pft, of course not. It’s not like I’ve been secretly planning an enormous party for you from the moment the rebellion ended along with Glimmer and Bow and now it’s in the final stages of preparation and once everything is set in motion this will be the single greatest birthday ever in the history of Etheria.”

Catra released a nervous chuckle, “Ha, yeah. Of course, _you_ wouldn’t do anything like that.”

“Exactly.” Adora placed a chaste kiss on her cheek before snuggling into her side causing a pleasant warmth to spread from Catra’s chest throughout her body.

Within a matter of minutes, Adora was quietly snoring. Catra continued to lie there listening to Adora breathe. The warmth of her breath tickling her ears with every exhalation. After a few minutes, she adjusted slightly careful not to wake the sleeping beauty beside her. Her mind wandered back to their prior conversation. Despite Adora’s failed attempt at reassuring her, Catra couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling that something was off.

She swallowed the uncomfortable lump in the back of her throat.

Catra had no clue what birthday parties entailed. Apparently, there was cake which was amazing. The rest was a complete mystery. Every time she asked Adora for details she was met with a cryptic reply. As chance would have it, she stumbled upon a few clues over the past week that made her feel less than enthusiastic about the whole thing. Thanks largely in part to Adora and her friends acting weirder than usual.

She recalled the first peculiar incident from earlier this week.

Catra overheard Glimmer and Bow shouting at each other in the war room. She would have kept walking past the commotion if she hadn’t heard Adora’s voice coming from inside the chamber as well. When she peered inside, she found Adora waving her arms, talking a mile a minute pointing at a large map of Etheria. Normally, this wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary but, upon closer inspection, she noticed a child-like scribble of her own profile in the center of the map adorned with colorful streamers. She couldn’t decipher much of the conversation, but she definitely heard the phrase _glitter bomb_. Eventually, Adora noticed her standing in the doorway. Catra bolted after they locked eyes. She didn’t stop running until she was outside the castle walls.

The subject of what exactly happened in that conference room never came up again. Frankly, Catra was too terrified of finding out what a glitter bomb was to confront Adora about it.

The rest of the week went by so smoothly she almost forgot about the entire incident.

Almost.

The inevitability of her not-so-secret birthday bash was brought to her attention, once again, by Bow and Glimmer.

Adora was off “running errands” leaving Catra to enjoy her lunch out on the veranda with Bow and Glimmer. The trio basked in the warm sunny day and each other’s company as they consumed their meals. At some point, the topic of conversation veered into what they should do for the rest of the day.

“We should go to the beach! I’ll bet the ocean is the perfect temperature right now. ” Bow began. Catra shuddered. She _hated_ water. “Swimming would be perfect today! Oh, and we could go to the waterfall-”

“-Shhh, Bow!” Glimmer interjected, “That was supposed to be a surprise for _the you know what for you know who_!”

A cold shiver ran down Catra’s spine. _This_ was Adora’s big surprise!?

“Sorry... We could totally do something else today and save the water fun for a _special_ occasion.” Bow concluded with a wink.

After that exchange, Catra excused herself from the group opting to take a walk to clear her head, but no matter how far she traveled, she couldn’t escape the nagging thought that Adora really didn’t know her well enough to plan a special day for her.

It was keeping her awake at night, just like tonight.

If Adora truly knew her inside and out then she wouldn’t waste her time planning a giant party and scouting immaculate locations involving large, turbulent, and terrifying bodies of water. Instead, Adora would spend the day with her. Alone. Just the two of them.

It was that simple.

When the dreaded day finally arrived, Catra was a bundle of nerves. She half excepted her room to be littered with booby traps. She carefully checked her closet, under her bed, the bathroom, every nook and cranny. There was nothing out of the ordinary. She should be pleased but the lack of surprises only heightened her suspicions. Only after checking the coast was clear for the third time did Catra accept her room was safe. She resigned to get the day over with, accepting her fate. Whatever that may be.

She rummaged through her closet until she found the concealed outfit Adora picked out. She unzipped the garment bag revealing a jet-black suit, crisp white button down, and silky red bow tie. Carefully, Catra donned the outfit appraising herself in front of the mirror making sure to flatten out the newly formed crinkles with the palms of her hands. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she turned her attention to the bow tie. She grabbed the dangling fabric hanging around her necked attempting to loop a proper bow into existence. Failing miserable not once, not twice, but ten times.

Mercifully, she was forced to abandon her frustrating fashion accessory by a few rapid knocks at the door.

Catra took a deep breath to center herself before opening the door.

It was Adora and she looked… stunning.

Her golden hair was loose, cascading down her shoulders and framing her face giving her an ethereal quality. The white flowing dress she wore accented her figure perfectly. She was unreal.

A literal goddess.

Catra gawked with her jaw hanging completely speechless like a love-struck fool.

“What?!” Adora asked clearly flustered, “Is there something in my hair or-or on my dress?!”

The heightened volume coupled with the panic in Adora’s voice snapped Catra out of her daze. She grabbed Adora’s hands stilling her movements. “No, you look _beautiful_.”

Her tone was so soft, almost breathless. Catra barely recognized her own voice.

Adora squeezed her hands back. A creeping blush evident on her flawless face.

“Thanks, Catra. Y-you look – I mean, just- wow. Wow!”

Catra chuckled trying to remain cool and unaffected by Adora’s compliment. “Don’t act so surprised. After all, you did pick out what I’m wearing. I’m beginning to think you have a serious thing for me in suits.”

The corners of Adora’s mouth upturned, morphing into a mischievous smirk. She wrapped her hands around the loose ends of Catra’s tie. Catra was caught off guard by the bold action. The pressure building along the back of her neck pulled forward until she was inches away from Adora’s face. Her eyes instinctively lowered to Adora’s lips, now arranged in an even wider grin clearly pleased with her little stunt.

“It’s pretty serious.” Adora purred.

Catra’s heart began beating erratically in her chest. Adora leaned in closer capturing her lips in a languished kiss that was over far too soon for Catra’s liking. She whined when Adora pulled away. Adora chuckled to herself as she rested their foreheads together.

“Ready birthday girl?” Adora whispered.

Catra released a shaky breath stepping away from Adora. “It’s now or never.”

Adora proceeded to blind fold her claiming this was a mandatory part of all birthdays. Catra agreed against her better judgement, grabbing onto Adora’s forearms for dear life as Adora guided her through the castle.

The castle was quiet, too quiet.

The only sounds she heard throughout the entire journey were the clacking of their fancy shoes against the stone corridors. A sense of impending doom settled within Catra’s bones. Eventually, they came to a halt.

Catra gripped onto Adora like a lifeline trying to quell her escalating nerves.

“It’s ok.” Adora cooed in a soothing tone, “We made it.”

Adora removed the blind fold. When her eyes adjusted, Catra noticed they were standing before a vast, dark chamber. Adora walked forward until the tips of her toes met the shadow of the void. She nodded towards Catra, who took this as her cue to stand beside her, shoulder to shoulder, upon the precipice of the unknown.

Without warning, Adora clapped her hands together startling Catra. Within seconds the entire chamber flooded with light. Catra scanned the entirely of the chamber completely puzzled.

The only person in the room was Glimmer.

Glimmer approached them with a jubilant smile plastered on her face that rivaled Adora’s. She extended her hands outward. Adora clasped one. Catra followed suit placing her hand in the other. In an instant, she felt her body rocketing through space and time arriving in the depths of Etheria within nanoseconds.

Catra shook loose from Glimmer’s hold. She bent over resting her hands on her knees steadying her breathing to keep her nausea in check. She _hated_ teleporting.

“Happy birthday Catra.” Glimmer said with a wink before evaporating leaving her alone in the woods with Adora. After her motion sickness subsided, Catra stood up fully surveying their surroundings.

“Adora, what are we doing _here_?”

Adora shrugged back peddling a few steps away from her and towards the majestic tree with purple leaves. “I looked all over Etheria for the best place to take you today, but nowhere seemed as perfect as right here. This place is special. It’s ours, has been for years.”

Catra was still confused. “But what about your big special plans?

“What big plans?” Adora asked a little too innocently.

“You know the ones involving a giant map with my face on it, glitter bombs, and the ocean. Really Adora, the _ocean_?!”

“Oh, _those_ plans.” Adora began flashing a self-satisfied smirk, “See, the best part of a birthday is surprising the birthday girl with a party she isn’t expecting. I knew you would figure out I was taking you here eventually, so Bow and Glimmer offered to throw you off the trail with wild and elaborate plans that you would definitely find. It totally worked didn’t it?”

Catra sighed in relief. No water. No glitter bombs. Just a peaceful night with her favorite person.

“It was perfect.” Catra admitted. She walked forward closing the distance between them. “I never suspected this at all.” She snaked her arms around Adora’s waist bringing them closer together.

Adora smiled sweetly as she wrapped her arms around Catra’s neck., “Well, I have a pretty good understanding of what you want.”

They swayed together under the cover of the majestic tree.

“Hmm, do you now.” Catra challenged before spinning Adora. Her flowing white dress trailing her as she twirled causing her to giggle before coming back to Catra’s embrace. Their faces were inches apart. “Yes.” Adora’s breath ghosted across her lips. “You want the same thing I want.”

It was a loaded statement.

The air between them thickened like an encroaching fog. The edges of the world blurred out of focus as they were fully engulfed until all they could see was each other through the misty haze.

Adora must have felt it too. A look of panic flashed a across her delicate features. She opened her mouth to protest but Catra surged forward and kissed her. After a few seconds, Adora relaxed melting into the kiss. When they broke apart, Catra made sure to get the first word in.

“Don’t take it back. Not if you really mean it.” She searched Adora’s eyes looking for fear, hesitancy, anything at all to indicate they were not on the same page. But she never did. Instead, she was met with a steely gaze of absolute certainty. “I want it too.” Catra admitted, “ _All of it_. With you.”

They continued to dance for a while more after that. Clinging onto one another. Neither letting the other go.

Eventually, they took a break from dancing to enjoy the birthday cake Adora strategically stashed out. They sat under the tree, backs resting against the sturdy bark, eating cake and talking about the future as they had done many times before. But this time felt different.

They were different and finally at a point in their lives where all their plans held the possibility of becoming their reality. Reality as she knew it now was already a dream come true.

She had Adora and that was the most important thing.

Everything else was an extra bonus, like icing on an already perfect cake.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed this bit of birthday fluff.


End file.
